Tag Archives: testimony

A woman of valor who can find? For her price is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10 JPS Tanakh).

A woman of valor is a warrior at heart. She fights for her faith, her family and her community. But sometimes, her toughest battles are for her God-given dreams. I wonder if some wars are harder than others because the enemy knows the stakes are so high?

I think back to our long years of infertility and my fierce fight to have a baby. I couldn’t have known it at the time, but I was waging a battle not just for our firstborn daughter, but also for our next baby, a son. Then another son. And now, four grandchildren and counting.

Our daughter recently said something to me which made me pause: “Mama, you didn’t know when you were going through all those years of infertility that you were also fighting for all these little people to be born,” pointing to our grandchildren.

Perhaps my fight was so fierce because the enemy wanted what I had—the promise of children and grandchildren who would glorify God. And ultimately, generations beyond those.

But I had something else the enemy wanted. And so do you. He wanted to steal my testimony. He wanted to make it impossible for me to tell the miraculous story of God’s healing that enabled me to have those babies. He wanted to rob me of the chance to encourage others who are waiting for answers to their own prayers.

Quite simply, the devil wants to steal the story God is weaving through your dream. Or through this trial you’re enduring so bravely. He wants to steal your testimony. In the end, he wants to steal God’s glory.

Dear friend, don’t give up. God is faithful. One day you will have a story to tell. A story that will cause others yearn to know this wonderful God Who is the Giver of Dreams.

We’re on Day Twenty of the 21 Day Fast for Pastor Saeed. Naghmeh Abedini has seen significant breakthroughs in her battle to bring Saeed home. Some of you have experienced breakthroughs of your own in areas where you’ve felt stuck. Perhaps you’ve gained spiritual insight, now able to see your problem from God’s perspective.

But I must admit. Prayer and fasting are still something of a mystery to me. I wonder why the Bible encourages us to pray and fast when we encounter stubborn resistance. Could it be that some battles are harder than others because the enemy knows the stakes are so high?

My epiphany came the other day in a parking lot, of all places. I was heading home after a quick run for coffee with my husband. From a distance, we saw what appeared to be a very aggressive bird battle under some nearby cedar trees. As we got closer, we saw the target of this assault was a very large hawk. His noisy attackers appeared to be about half a dozen black crows. The angry birds darted in and out, fiercely attacking the hawk. Continue reading

Blind! The man had been born blind. Imagine. He had never seen daylight, his own hands, or his parents’ faces. We can tell from the account in today’s reading of John 9 (in our 21-Day Experiment) that the man had never even heard of Jesus. And yet, he would soon experience a dramatic healing encounter with this controversial Rabbi. Continue reading